1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems for arranging materials for a reef, such as rocks, plants and coral, in an aquarium in a variety of shapes. The resulting marine reef or freshwater bioscape beautifies an aquarium while hiding fixtures and other apparatus necessary for operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
A successful reef tank environment requires unrestricted water flow throughout the tank to ensure adequate circulation to all portions of the reef and the organisms contained therein. The most common methods of constructing reefs typically result in poor circulation and inefficient use of landscaping materials. Stacking live rock to gain vertical height for the reef results in a large volume of rock in the interior of the base that receives little or no circulation. With the moderate to high cost of quality live rock, this method is highly inefficient for the hobbyist and contributes no benefit to the aquarium environment.
In addition, the stacked rock construction method makes it difficult to perform maintenance in the aquarium. In order to clean behind this type of reef, large sections of the reef must be dismantled and reconstructed. Without a structure to support the remainder of the reef wall, it is often difficult to reassemble the reef in the original shape. Also, without the support structure, the reef is subject to shifting and collapse during maintenance operations or due to the ongoing actions of snails and other natural factors.
A number of alternatives to stacking live rock have been developed, with varying degrees of effectiveness. Creating a base out of other less expensive materials, such as bricks in small aquariums or cinder blocks in large tanks, helps to improve the economic efficiency but results in the same reduced circulation.
One approach based on concrete pieces (Jimbo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,362) uses plates stacked on supporting poles. This system provides an improvement in the vertical slope of the reef, but does not allow circulation between the plates.
Several prior art systems are based on an eggcrate material (Frank Strange, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,053; Mike Bender, MARINE FISH MONTHLY, February 1996; Mathew Stevens, AQUARIUM, September 1996) which provides water flow through the openings of the material. These systems utilize a combination of the eggcrate material and P.V.C. pipe or plastic tubing to form a series of surfaces on which the reef can be built. However, all of these approaches involve cutting the eggcrate material to obtain the desired shape and bonding the pieces together using adhesive. This requires skill in the construction of the system to avoid damaging and thereby wasting the materials, and makes these systems inflexible in terms of changing the configuration of the reef. Once the system has been cut and bonded to form a particular shape, it cannot be easily disassembled or altered.
What is needed is a reef rack system that solves all of these problems by allowing construction of the reef support system without the use of any tools or adhesives. It would be best to have all the pieces of the system slide together to provide a solid, secure structure for the subject reef. This would allow the user to reconfigure any portion of the system without disturbing the other sections of the structure. The system should also be modular to permit expansion of the structure in any direction to easily create a reef that conforms to the shape of the aquarium. The vertical reef face achievable with the system should maximize the space available in small aquariums and minimize the amount of live rock required to create a particular reef shape. An open space should be maintained between the rear of the reef wall and the back of the tank. The open space is crucial to proper circulation throughout the aquarium, to provide easy access for cleaning and maintenance, and to provide a space for tank equipment behind the reef so that the tank equipment is hidden from view.
According to the invention, a reef rack system for aquariums is provided, which includes a ledge supported by first and second removably attached posts having first and second lengths, respectively. The posts each include a first channel having a first width extending along the length of the post on a first side of the post and a second channel having the first width extending along the length of the post on a second side of the post opposite to the first side of the post. The posts also have a first plurality of protruding ridges along the length of the post on a third side of the post between the first and second channels and a second plurality of protruding ridges extending along the length of the post on a fourth side of the post between the first and second channels, the fourth side of the post being opposite to the third side of the post. The ledge includes a frame, a first attachment frame attached to the frame, and a second attachment frame. The attachment frames have an opening adapted to slide over and removably attach to the first and second plurality of protruding ridges of a post. The first and second attachment frames are removably attached to the first and second posts, respectively.
The reef rack system includes feet, which can be attached to the ends of the posts and used to keep the system from tipping over. The feet can also be used to support the top of posts against the side of an aquarium. A foot includes a base, and a foot attachment attached to the base. The foot attachment has a third length normal to the base and adapted to grip the first post between a first portion of the foot attachment that is adapted to mate to the first plurality of protruding ridges, a second portion of the foot attachment that extends into the first channel, and a third portion of the foot attachment that extends into the second channel. The first portion that extends into the first channel has a second width that is less than half of the first width of the first channel, and similarly, the second portion that extends into the second channel has a second width that is less than half of the first width of the second channel.
The length of posts can be extended by using a post lock, which can be used to removably join a third post to the first post. The third post is constructed in the same manner as other posts. Each of the posts has a notch cut between the first and second channels at one end of the post. The notch is cut to have a third width narrower than the first width.
The post lock is adapted for extending the first length of the first post by removably joining the first post to the third post by inserting the post lock into the notches on the ends of the first and third posts. The post lock has a first rail extending along the its length and has a fourth width adapted for sliding between the first width of the first channels on the first and third posts. A second rail extends along the post lock length and has a fourth width adapted for sliding between the first width of the second channels on the first and third posts. A bar connects and separates the first and second rails, the bar having a width adapted so that the first and second rails fit snuggly into the first and second channels on the posts and the bar having a first depth adapted for sliding snuggly into the third width of the notch.
Other objects and many of the attendant features of this invention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed descriptions and considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols designate like parts throughout the figures.